CFP: [Collections] Southeast Asian Horror Cinema

Abstracts are sought for a collection of essays on Southeast Asian HorrorCinema. Although relatively modest in terms of production and aestheticsif compared to the horror cinemas of Japan and Korea for example, it isundeniable that the horror genre contributes greatly to the cinematichistories and cultures of Southeast Asia although for various reasons(political, market, religion, etc.) it has, for a period, suffered alackluster existence. For example, although Malayan cinema basicallydebuted in the guise of the pontianak (loosely translated as femalevampires) films, which continued to spawn successful sequels, since the1970s, Malaysia has more or less â€œbannedâ€ horror from its socioculturallandscape due to politico-religious reasons. And despite longstandinghistories of horror in Indonesian and Thai cinema, they have untilrelatively recently been merely low-budget affairs. In the last 10 years however, there has been a radical shift inthe way Southeast Asian cinema views its horror offerings, possiblyinfluenced by the amazing achievements, on both critical and popularlevels, of the horror cinema of Japan and Korea. Technically, narrativelyand aesthetically more sophisticated, horror films in Southeast Asia haveeither made a comeback, or have undergone a significant facelift, drawingconsiderable attention not only from local audiences, but audiences inthe West as well. Yet, despite this newfound â€œsuccessâ€, criticalappreciation of the regionâ€™s horror cinema remains scarce. Whilescholarship on Korean and especially Japanese horror cinema abounds, workon Southeast Asian horror has garnered almost no academic attention. The main aim of this collection is to redress this vacuum. Itseeks to be as comprehensive as possible, and would serve primarily as acritical introduction to Southeast Asian horror cinema. Suggested topicswould include but are not limited to: